Thursday, November 18, 2010

From Frocktober to No-sew-vember!

Well not quite no sew but close to! I have been swamped with paid and voluntary work, supervising mini-me's end of year final exam preparation and having some work done on my house. Not much time for me in all that.

I did manage to finish two items. This lovely silk dress from New Look 6892 was made very quickly for a cocktail function when I had that I've got nothing to wear feeling two days before the event. I was hoping for a photo of me wearing it with my orange sandals but no-one can find the time. The belt was $4 from St Vincent de Paul.

I've loved the pattern since I saw Eugenia's top here. I extended the length using my TNT skirt extension from Simplicity 2614. I will be making a few tops from this pattern this summer.

I also completed mini-me's made to order black strapless (with safety strap for swimming) twist-top bikini. It looks much better on, but there is no way I will parade pictures of a not quite 15 year old girl in a bikini to the world. Letting her wear them on Bondi Beach is hard enough for me!

At present I'm struggling with BWOF 6/2009 105. I've concluded that Burda's knit patterns are not great - crazy order of work in the instructions, the addition of facings that don't work and designs are so fabric weight specific that they frustrate sewers. Like others who have sewn this top, my lightweight red jersey was too light to hold the pleats so I needed to stitch them down like pintucks. I'm busily unpicking the side seams now, first it was too big, then I overcompensated and it is a tad tight at the waist and hips. The top half looked good so I am determined to make it work.

Next up a skirt in black and white plaid silk duponi using BWOF 1/2009 105B. I'm after a skirt that I can dress up with heels and a blouse or down with flat sandals and a t-shirt.

That dress is gorgeous. I love the fabric. I hope that someone can find the time to take a picture of you in it, in your orange sandals. Your mini-me is so lucky to have you make her bikini..swimwear shopping is not fun at all!

That dress is gorgeous (oh, just noticed my sister above began her comment with the same first line). But it is! I love the fabric and the design. I wish I could wear belts around dresses but just don't seem to have the body shape to pull it off.

Wow what an amazingly beautiful dress! I am very proud that my top inspired you to make this. What a GENIUS idea to lengthen the top pattern to make a dress!!! I do hope you don't mind if, when summer arrives in this half of the hemisphere, I steal your idea :)

The three pieces are absolutely beautiful, I hope someone can take photos of you with the dress, It looks very romantic. You are right, showing the bikini vacuum Internet is no place for pictures of a teenage girl in bikini. And finally, I love, love that skirt!!

About Me

I learned to sew basic clothing at high school. When my children were young I sewed all their clothes and a few of my own. Then suddenly I got lazy. Now I'm done with paying outrageous prices for designer clothing for myself and my two daughters.